Medium pacer Prasidh Krishna grabbed an impressive five-wicket haul as reigning Ranji Trophy champions Karnataka bundled out Bangladesh A for a mere 158 in the first innings and then reached 163/6 at stumps on Day 1 of the three-day cricket match here on Tuesday.
Krishna (5/49) was well supported by Udit Patel (2/11) while Jagadeesha Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, H.S. Sharath also chipped in with a wicket each to bowl out the visitors in just 38.3 overs at the Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadeyar Ground.
In reply, Shishir Bhavane (55 not out) and Jagadeesha Suchith (14 not out) remained unbeaten to help a struggling Karnataka reach 163/6 in 49 overs.
Opting to bat first, Bangladesh A got off to a disastrous start, losing their openers within five overs of play.
Tight bowling by the Karnataka bowlers restricted the visitors from scoring freely. Instead, Bangladesh A kept losing wickets at regular intervals, handing the hosts the advantage right at the start.
Bangladesh A lost their first five wickets for just 41 runs. But Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury (55), Liton Das (50) and tailender Saqlain Sajib (15 not out) managed to reach the double figure mark.
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Chowdhury and Das held on firmly as vital half centuries from both helped them add crucial runs to the team's total and get past the 150-run mark.
But the Karnataka bowlers were too good for the visitors as wickets fell in a cluster, sending all Bangladesh A batsmen back to the pavilion.
Coming in to bat, Karnataka too struggled at the start with openers Ravikumar Samarth (25) and Mayank Agarwal (16), getting themselves dismissed after looking set. Incoming batsman Abhishek Reddy too fell after his 38-ball 28.
But from 100-6, Shishir Bhavane (55 not out) and Suchith stuck it out in the middle to strike an unbeaten 63-run partnership.
For Bangladesh A, Shuvagata Hom (3/29), Saqlain Sajib (3/48) were the pick of the bowlers.
Brief scores: Bangladesh A 158 (Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury 55, Liton Das 50; Prasidh Krishna 5/49, Udit Patel 2/11) vs Karnakata 163/6 (Shishir Bhavane 55 not out; Shuvagata Hom 3/29, Saqlain Sajib 3/48).